Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 271

All the latest Science, Space, Health & Robotics news with plenty of coverage on space launches, discoveries, rockets & plenty more - Page 271.

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NASA's next Mars helicopter flight, blades to reach 80% speed of sound

Jak Connor | Sep 17, 2021 3:51 AM CDT

NASA is planning the next flight for its Mars helicopter, and according to the Chief Pilot of Ingenuity, the next flight will push boundaries of what NASA scientists know Ingenuity is capable of.

NASA's next Mars helicopter flight, blades to reach 80% speed of sound

Harvard Grip has written a new NASA status update and has detailed what will be the fourteenth flight for Ingenuity. The title of the status update is "Flying on Mars Is Getting Harder and Harder", and Grip goes on to explain that the atmospheric density of Mars is changing to levels that helicopter wasn't designed to fly in. As a solution to this problem, NASA says it will spin the rotor blades faster than it ever has before as a way of testing Ingenuity's flight capabilities in lower atmospheric densities.

NASA will attempt to increase Ingenuity's rotor speed to 2,800 rpm, which is more than a 10% increase on NASA's previous rpm record of 2,537 rpm. Grip explains that at a rotor speed of 2,800 rpm Ingenuity's blades will be approaching the speed of sound on Mars, which is about 3/4 of what the speed of sound is here on Earth. Grip says, "A rotor speed of 2,800 rpm, in combination with wind and helicopter motion, could cause the tips of the rotor blades to encounter the air at nearly 0.8 Mach - that is, 80% of the speed of sound on Mars."

Continue reading: NASA's next Mars helicopter flight, blades to reach 80% speed of sound (full post)

NASA's Mars helicopter will soon attempt something for the first time

Jak Connor | Sep 17, 2021 3:32 AM CDT

NASA's Chief Pilot for its Mars helicopter named Ingenuity has said that flights on the Red Planet are getting harder and harder.

NASA's Mars helicopter will soon attempt something for the first time

Chief Pilot Havard Grip has written on NASA's website about the recent difficulties the Ingenuity team is facing with launches. Grip explains that due to Mars' seasonal variations drop, researchers are recording a drop in atmospheric density in the Jezero Crater where Ingenuity is located. While the drop seems significant when looking at in terms of numbers, Grip says that it has a major impact on Ingenuity's ability to fly.

Don't rule out NASA scientists just yet, as they do have a plan to combat this issue of atmospheric density. Grip says, "We will begin by performing a high-speed spin of the rotor without leaving the ground, reaching a peak rotor speed of 2,800 rpm (more than a 10% increase relative to our prior Mars experience of 2,537 rpm). If all goes well, we will follow this with a short test flight at a slightly lower rotor speed of 2,700 rpm. This would be our 14th flight."

Continue reading: NASA's Mars helicopter will soon attempt something for the first time (full post)

Despite lawsuits, Jeff Bezos congratulates Elon Musk on recent launch

Jak Connor | Sep 17, 2021 3:11 AM CDT

SpaceX recently successfully launched the first all-civilian mission into space called "Inspiration4", and despite the debates between Blue Origin, SpaceX and NASA, Jeff Bezos has congratulated Elon Musk.

Despite lawsuits, Jeff Bezos congratulates Elon Musk on recent launch

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, has said congratulations to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk via his Twitter account, saying that the success of the Inspiration4 mission is another step towards space tourism becoming accessible to all humans. The sentiments from Bezos come after Blue Origin moved to sue NASA over its decision to award SpaceX with a $2.9 billion contract for the construction and development of a new lunar lander as a part of its Artemis program that will put US astronauts back on the moon.

As for the recent Inspiration4 launch by SpaceX, the space transportation company took four ordinary people to lower-Earth orbit, where they will remain for three days. The mission didn't include any professional astronauts, and the bathroom aboard the Crew Dragon capsule probably has the best view anyone can see while relieving themselves.

Continue reading: Despite lawsuits, Jeff Bezos congratulates Elon Musk on recent launch (full post)

Whales used to walk on land, Egyptian researchers identify new fossils

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 5:01 AM CDT

Egyptian scientists have published a new study claiming that whales weren't always exclusively aquatic animals - they once walked on land.

Whales used to walk on land, Egyptian researchers identify new fossils

The new study has been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B and details the discovery of a fossil that was uncovered from the dirt in 2008. The fossil was found in the Western Desert, and since its discovery, researchers have assembled a team and begun their examination. Their findings were published in the aforementioned journal just last month.

According to the team's leading paleontologist, Hesham Sallam, "This is the first time in the history of Egyptian vertebrate paleontology to have an Egyptian team leading a documentation of a new genus and species of four-legged whale." The researchers say the creature lived 43 million years ago, and has expanded human knowledge on the evolution of whales and how the species went from herbivore land mammals into the carnivorous giants of the ocean we know today.

Continue reading: Whales used to walk on land, Egyptian researchers identify new fossils (full post)

Real-life 'dragon' fossil discovered in Chile, a paleontology first

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 4:35 AM CDT

Researchers have uncovered a fossil of a "dragon" in Chile, turning out to be a first in the paleontology science world.

Real-life 'dragon' fossil discovered in Chile, a paleontology first

The announcement has come from Chilean scientists, per Phys.org, who said on September 11 that they had discovered the remains of the first-ever southern hemisphere "winged lizard", dubbed a pterosaur. The researchers state that the new species lived in what is now the Atacama desert during the Jurassic Period 160 million years ago.

The researchers from the University of Chile confirmed that the remains are of a rhamphorhynchine pterosaur. The significance of this find shouldn't go understated, as Reuters reports that the discovery of the possible indicates that migration occurred when Earth now separated landmasses were just one supercontinent named Gondwana. Additionally, pterosaur fossils have only been found in the Northern Hemisphere until now.

Continue reading: Real-life 'dragon' fossil discovered in Chile, a paleontology first (full post)

4,000 year-old rock was seemingly cut with a laser, was it aliens?

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 4:12 AM CDT

There are some things on Earth that are yet to receive an explanation, and the Al-Naslaa, located in the Tayma Oasis in Saudi Arabia, is one of them.

4,000 year-old rock was seemingly cut with a laser, was it aliens?

The Al-Naslaa Rock dates back to more than 4,000 years ago and has puzzled historians, geologists, and tourists for many years, as onlookers attempt to try and figure out how the rocks have seemingly formed with this laser precision. The entire formation features two pieces of sandstone balancing on two naturally forming pedestals. Each of the pieces of sandstone is unique but has been perfectly split in the middle.

The split that is featured down the middle seemingly looks like extraterrestrials have cut the stone with a laser, but as you can imagine, there is no significant evidence to back up that claim. In addition to having a mysterious split down the middle, the Al Naslaa also featured petroglyphs on its surfacing as the location of the rock was once occupied by ancient civilizations.

Continue reading: 4,000 year-old rock was seemingly cut with a laser, was it aliens? (full post)

Amateur astronomer captures magical moment of fiery death on Jupiter

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 3:41 AM CDT

An amateur astronomer from Brazil has captured an awesome moment on video while viewing Jupiter in the night sky.

Amateur astronomer captures magical moment of fiery death on Jupiter

The astronomer is named Jose Luis Pereira, and on the night of September 13, Pereira set up his viewing equipment for a night of observing the solar system's largest planet. Pereira set up his equipment in Sao Caetano do Sul, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. Pereira's goal was to take photos and videos of Jupiter for the DeTeCt program that focuses on capturing impacts on Jupiter. Pereira was lucky enough to capture one of these moments on video.

Pereira took twenty-five videos of Jupiter over the course of the night, and the following morning the monitoring program notified Pereira that an impact had been detected in the first video that was taken. After sending the footage through the DeTeCt program, which said there was a high chance that what the footage shows is a space rock impact, Pereira then sent the data to Marc Delcroix of the French Astronomical Society, who later confirmed the impact.

Continue reading: Amateur astronomer captures magical moment of fiery death on Jupiter (full post)

SpaceX launches ordinary citizens to space without any astronauts

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 3:12 AM CDT

SpaceX has recently sent four ordinary civilians off into lower-Earth orbit without any professional astronauts on board.

SpaceX launches ordinary citizens to space without any astronauts

SpaceX has just solidified itself, once again, in the private space industry history books as the first company to launch a spacecraft into lower-Earth orbit that only has civilian passengers on aboard. On Wednesday night, the space transportation company launched its Falcon 9 rocket with a modified Crew Dragon capsule on board, carrying four private citizens; Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski, and Dr. Sian Proctor.

The launch was a success, and Dragon is currently located in lower-Earth orbit and will remain there for three days. The launch mission titled "Inspiration4" was entirely paid for by billionaire Jared Isaacman who is promoting the flight for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for cancer research. Isaacman also donated $100 million to the charity before the launch. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

Continue reading: SpaceX launches ordinary citizens to space without any astronauts (full post)

Mars had thousands of violent volcanic eruptions, NASA image confirms

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 2:50 AM CDT

A new study has examined a topological map of Mars and has suggested that the Red Planet was once subjected to thousands of "supervolcano" eruptions over the course of millions of years.

Mars had thousands of violent volcanic eruptions, NASA image confirms

The study was recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters back in July 2021, and details that large volcanoes, or more accurately referred to as "supervolcanoes", when erupting, can produce very large amounts of toxic gasses, dust, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide that can change the climate of the planet. These eruptions are described as "super-eruptions", and even an individual one can have a large impact on the planet's climate.

According to Patrick Whelley, a geologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and the lead researcher on the analysis of Mars' Arabia Terra seen above, "Each one of these eruptions would have had a significant climate impact-maybe the released gas made the atmosphere thicker or blocked the Sun and made the atmosphere colder."

Continue reading: Mars had thousands of violent volcanic eruptions, NASA image confirms (full post)

SpaceX's all-civilian crew will have this incredible view when pooping

Jak Connor | Sep 16, 2021 2:32 AM CDT

SpaceX just took four ordinary civilians to space via its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, and the view the passengers will have will be incredible.

SpaceX's all-civilian crew will have this incredible view when pooping

The launch for the mission titled Inspiration4 happened only a matter of hours ago, and we saw the four passengers Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski, and Dr. Sian Proctor, all of which aren't trained astronauts. The Inspiration4 launch marked a milestone in the space tourism industry as the first successful launch of an all-civilian mission into space.

SpaceX has outfitted the Dragon capsule with a glass dome on its nose, replacing the docking port that is usually there when astronauts are transported to the International Space Station. The glass dome is for viewing purposes and is called a cupola. Passengers aboard the Dragon capsule will be able to stick their heads inside the dome for a full 360-degree viewing experience.

Continue reading: SpaceX's all-civilian crew will have this incredible view when pooping (full post)